Tate: Multitude of reasons led to her resignation as elections director

Pasquotank County’s elections director said she is stepping down from the position for many reasons.

Emma Tate said Tuesday that she decided to resign as the county’s elections chief “for a multitude of reasons.”

“I just decided it was time to move on,” she said.

Tate, who has served as director of the Pasquotank Board of Elections since 2020, announced her resignation last week. Her last day as director is Aug. 16.

The Pasquotank Board of Elections’ five-member board will appoint an interim director. Tate said Tuesday that an interim director has not yet been appointed.

Troy White is deputy director for the Pasquotank elections board.

North Carolina state law requires local boards of elections to nominate a new director and submit that nomination for approval by the N.C. State Board of Elections’ executive director.

Tate has served as county elections director since March 2020, after being promoted from interim director. From July 2019 to February 2020, she served as deputy director of elections.

Tate is at least the 59th election director to resign or retire since 2019, according to a NCNewsline.com article dated April 17. There are 100 counties in North Carolina.

In the article, writer Lisa Sorg quotes N.C. Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell testifying before a state legislative oversight committee. Bell cites voter “hostility and harassment” toward elections directors among the reasons for their resignations and retirements.

Tate’s resignation will take effect less than three months before the Nov. 5 election and just over two months before the start of early voting on Oct. 17.

The Pasquotank Board of Elections will hold a special meeting at the elections office on Monday at 9 a.m. to discuss the county’s early voting plan for the Nov. 5 general election.

The N.C. State Board of Elections voted last month to have the Pasquotank County Board of Elections operate two early voting sites for the Nov. 5 election: one at the elections board office at 1409 Parkview Drive, the other at the K.E. White Center at 1862 Edgewood Drive.